The Top of Life: Part 1 and 2
by Coragal
Summary: Once you read the first chapter you will be hooked on this exciting adventure story. Trust me, the wit and complicated descriptions just don't stop. Okay, so I'm bragging, so what?
1. Dumbledore disappears!

Dumbledore stared at the spinning globe on his dark, mahogany table. It was moving faster and faster with every turn. The gem on the top was glowing a deep crimson red. The great, old man smiled. "Ah, how wonderful to be young and in love!" he sighed to himself, "I wonder who's caught his fancy."   
Taking large, bright, laughing strides toward a small cabinet, Dumbledore chuckled to himself, "Harry really falls in and out of love quickly."  
The smiling wizard threw open the cabinet and took out a small, wooden box. He removed the lid, placing it on the table, beside the spinning top. Inside the box, seated on a bed of red velvet, laid a small, delicate, silver mirror. Inside the mirror, people were moving about. These people were detailed so finely it looked as though you were but inches away from their faces. The drops of sweat on a boy's face, or a sunburn on a girl's shoulder, every detail was perfect and precise. Dumbldore's eyes searched the mirror for a certain face. Ah, there it was! A boy's head had just come into view. The boy's coal black hair was untidy and rumpled, his eyes were a sharp, laughing green, but the one characteristic that really made this boy stand out was the lightning scar that paraded down from the boy's forehead to the beginnings of his nose. At the moment this boy (we all know who I'm talking about by now, right?) was speaking with a tall, rather elegant looking, girl. She must have been a year older than him, but she seemed at ease. The boy, Harry, Dumbledore had said, looked quite the opposite. He was stumbling with his words and looking at his feet. Even his laughing green eyes looked rather nervous. Finally the two parted. You could tell, though you could hear nothing, that the boy was relieved. He wiped his brow and laughed a bit with a boy with flaming red hair. This boy's face was splashed with freckles, and his bright orange-red hair stood out in the crowded corridor. The two were a perfect contrast in looks, but they seemed to be the best of friends, and very alike in tastes and manners. Now Dumbledore put down the mirror. "So," he muttered under his breath, "Harry's fallen for Cho Chang. I suppose the two could get along nicely, though I didn't think Cho was Harry's type."  
The old man placed the mirror back into its box with careful, gentle hands. He laid the top on with great care and put the small box back into the cabinet. Dumbledore then returned to the table with the top on it. He carefully put a glass covering over the top, leaving it to twirl freely, but not letting the outside world disturb its tranquil spinning.   
Suddenly, CRASH! BANG! BOOM! ZIP! THUD! UHHHHH! WHOOSH! Those were the sounds that went with the following scene: The great window that looked out over Hogwart's massive grounds suddenly shattered, sending a million tiny particles of glass into Dumbledore's study (CRASH). The BANG was a blow given to Dumbledore from He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Yes, Voldemort himself had entered Dumbledore's study. But not alone, never alone. Voldemort had come with none other than Wormtail, the rat who had killed Harry's mother and Father. BOOM was the force of the blow shaking the room and thus, knocking over Dumbledore's table. This happened to be the table on which the top had been spinning. The glass container that held the top fell to the floor. The top continued spinning, but it had been horribly shaken. The glass held, but a terrible crooked crack ran through it. ZIP was the sound of a small, sharp gem being flung by a slingshot at Fawkes, the phoenix. Fawkes had become shocked and angry at seeing Voldemort and Wormtail in her master and companion's private study. She had flown into a rage, but this gem struck her in the forehead and she fell to the floor, not because of the force of the attack, but because the gem's magic had hit her full force, enhancing the blow as well as using its sleeping magic on the phoenix. THUD was the sound of Fawkes falling to the floor and knocking against glass case. This caused the crack to continue down the case. Now it ran nearly all the way to the floor. UUUUUUH was the sound Wormtail uttered as he dragged Dumbledore and Fawkes toward the now open window. WHOOSH was the sound of Voldemort flying out the window, carrying Fawkes and Dumbledore as though they were as light as a cloud.   
  
"How can this be?" you may think to yourself. "Voldemort isn't strong enough to attack Dumbledore. He was always afraid of Dumbledore!" Ah, my friend, times have changed. When Voldemort came back to life his powers were greatly enhanced. With such a power, he fears no one, not even Dumbledore!  
  
As Voldemort left Dumbledore's study with his two prisoners, Wormtail sat down on the overturned table. He pulled a flask from his pocket. Wormtail opened the flask and smiled down at whatever lay within. He then unclenched his left hand, the one Voldemort had given him, to reveal several silvery-white hairs. One by one, Wormtail dropped the hairs in. The potion hissed and bubbled; turning from a dark, muddy brown, to a light pinkish periwinkle. Wormtail shuddered as he looked down at the pink potion, as if he was about to drink slime and bugs. Then, with a small gulp, Wormtail swallowed down the potion. Immediately, changes in his appearance became clear. His small, beady, tired eyes were replaced with sparkling blue ones. His weary, grayish, hairy body was wrapped with old, wrinkled, soft, pale skin. He shot up several feet, and his hair started to grow, and grow, and grow! Soon his hair was halfway down his back, and now it was silver! Wormtail wriggled uncomfortably. He felt strangely insecure in this unknown body, and besides his robes were much too small for him. He walked carefully, as if he had an awful sunburn, over to Dumbledore's dresser. He looked around the old, rosewood wardrobe. "Where would a wizard keep his robes?"  
He opened a small cabinet in the right hand side of the wardrobe. Instead of the robes he had been hoping for, Wormtail saw a box. With the curiosity of a man who has never seen the stars, Wormtail pulled the box of the shelf, and, rather sneakily, took a peek inside. He gasped as he saw the very boy his master was always raving about. "Harry Potter?" he murmured to himself.  
Wormtail glanced around to make sure nobody was in the office, then he looked closer at the picture in the mirror. Yes, he was sure of it, now. That was not his own reflection, but Harry Potter's! Wormtail was shocked and amazed. Then an idea crossed his foolish mind. Surely he would be rewarded if he brought this to his master! Wormtail hastily stuffed the mirror in his pocket, and rummaged in the wardrobe some more. Finally he found some suitable robes. Turning to right the overturned table, Wormtail promptly tripped over the glass container, shattering it completely...  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"  
shrieked Harry.   
He had fallen out of his chair. He was twitching and screaming on the floor. His arm and cheek and ankle were bleeding, and the look on his face was that of perfect agony. The entire Charms class was stunned. Cho Chang, (Gryffindor was having Charms with the Ravenclaws that day.) who had been reciting the ingredients for a Levitation Spell, immediately dropped her quill and fell back into her seat. She looked quite amazed, as did the entire class. Harry continued screaming and twitching. Prof. Flitwick, moving quickly, darted in between the astonished students to Harry's side. He slipped his arm over Harry's mouth. He muttered an incantation and Harry stopped screaming. Looking carefully at Harry's cuts he whispered comforting words in Harry's ear. The class looked on respectfully and silently. They were sure what had just happened to Harry was serious. Prof. Flitwick muttered something more and Harry started to float out of the room and up the stairs. "See that he gets to the Hospital Wing, Cho," said the professor quietly.   
Cho left her seat with a pale face. She followed the floating body out of the room and up the stares. Prof. Flitwick then continued the class as though nothing had happened.  
Following a floating body up a flight of squeaky old stairs in the middle of the afternoon is not something that is done everyday. It is not something that one does for amusement either. However, when the need arises someone must do the deed, so why not Cho? Besides, I hope you have not forgotten that this particular body has taken a liking to this particular girl. Hmmm... This could be interesting. THUMP! Suddenly Harry's floating body dropped out of the air and on the stairs. "Ohh..."  
Cho hurried to Harry's side. "Are you all right?"  
Harry looked around and blinked. Then he noticed the face. His eyes bulged as he recognized it as his crush. Quickly he hid his expression behind a mask of, "Yes... Fine. Just a bit muddled."  
Cho nodded in relief. She had no idea what she would have done if Harry wasn't 'fine and just a bit muddled'. They continued the flight to the hospital wing in silence...  
  
End of Chapter One  
  
  



	2. Harry finds an imposter.

Harry pushed open the door to the hospital wing with Cho following close behind. He was feeling a little dazed, but otherwise quite fine. The cuts really didn't even hurt. He ran his hands over the one on his cheek... huh? Harry felt his cheek for the cut, and then he felt the other one. Cho watched in a confused manner as Harry pushed and prodded and patted both cheeks. "Are you sure you're okay?" she asked quizzically.   
"Hmm? Oh. Yes... Tell me, do I have a cut on my cheek?" Harry asked. He needed proof before he could go around telling people his cuts and scratches had just disappeared.   
"That's funny, I could have sworn... No, you don't have a cut," Cho replied.   
Harry quickly looked at his ankle, but that was gone, too. His arm showed no trace of ever having a deep slash running down from his elbow to his wrist. Confused and tired Harry caught Madam Pomfrey's eye and asked if he looked like there was anything wrong with him. She looked at him sternly and said in a crisp voice, "This is a Hospital Wing. People come here looking for help... not problems! Now get out of here so I can attend to people who know what's wrong with them!"  
Harry quickly turned and headed out the door. Cho hurried after him. They entered the classroom just as Prof. Flitwick finished writing the homework on the blackboard. "Darn!" thought Harry, "I miss every minute of Charms, yet I still have homework!" Cursing his bad timing, Harry copied down the work and sped out the door to catch up with Hermione and Ron. "Harry! Are you okay? What happened?" Hermione exclaimed, "It looked like you were having some sort of a seizure. What did Madame Pomfrey say?"  
Harry slowly answered all her questions. "Harry, I don't think that sounds right. I mean cuts don't just disappear like that. Maybe you should talk to Dumbledore," Hermione said nervously.  
Ron however appeared quite calm and cool. "If Madame Pomfrey said nothing was wrong, then nothing is," he stated matter-of-factly.   
Harry, however, was unsure. He was actually considering speaking to Dumbledore. He pictured what the old man might say, "Hmmm... Well, that's very interesting Harry. I wouldn't worry, but keep me posted if something like this happens again."   
No, that didn't sound like anything Dumbledore would say. Harry shook his head at Ron, "No, something's bothering me. I think I will speak to Dumbledore. Who knows, maybe it's a side effect of the scar."   
Ron's mouth fell open as Harry walked off in the direction of Dumbledore's study. Hermione grinned smugly at his expression of shock. "Well, it look's like Tweedledee has gained a little sense, but old Tweedledum still needs to work on it," she remarked and flounced off to Arithmancy.   
  
Harry walked up to the gargoyle that guarded Dumbledore's study. Now came the hard part, guessing the password. Harry took a deep breath and started, "Lemon drop, sherbet balls, nougat, honey toffee, coconut ice, chocolate spiders, marshmallow ghosts, Fizzing Whizbees, Droobles Best Blowing Gum, toothflossing stringmints, peppermint toads, sugar quills, exploding bonbons, pepper imps-" Harry stopped short as the gargoyle leapt aside to admit him. He hurried in wondering why Dumbledore always chose a sweet for a password.   
"Excuse me for intruding, but I..." Harry stopped short at the sight of the headmaster.   
He wasn't smiling and the twinkle that usually occupied his pale blue eyes was missing. He was sitting at his desk and eyeing Harry with an angry and suspicious look. Harry wondered what was troubling him, but quickly picked up the threads of his speech and said, "I was wondering if I could talk with you a moment," seeing Dumbledore's look he quickly added, "If that's all right with you."  
The headmaster nodded, still keeping a suspicious eye on Harry. The boy hurriedly explained about his cuts and Charms lesson, searching Dumbledore's eyes for any trace of that friendly sparkle. It wasn't there. Once Harry finished his story Dumbledore stood up. He looked nervous. "Well, umm, your fit and cuts had to do with, um, let's see. The planets Jupiter and Venus came into alignment causing your scar to, err, react negatively. This pain flashed through your body causing your cuts and bruises. The fit you had was a result of the pain and your scar's control of your body. Umm, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named gave you that scar during an alignment, so whenever one occurs your scar will be affected. It's nothing to worry about," the Headmaster explained.  
Harry looked at Dumbledore quizzically. He had never lied to Harry, yet this answer sounded like something Professor Trelawney might say. All that mumbo jumbo about the planets was sure to be fake, and Dumbledore always called Voldemort by his name. Something strange was going on. Dumbledore wasn't acting like himself, it seemed like someone else had... Harry gasped. That was it! Maybe someone else had turned into Dumbledore... with the help of a Polyjuice potion! Slowly and casually Harry walked to the left, so he could see what was behind Dumbledore's desk. Sure enough, there was some broken glass and splintered wood. There must have been a struggle. Harry knew he was right. He thanked "Dumbledore" for his explanation and hurried off to find Ron and Hermione.   
He soon found them in the library, studying for the Potions quiz. "You see Ron, the crushed spider legs act as the potion's antidote, but they also act as an ingredient to it. Get it?"   
"No."  
Hermione sighed and started explaining it all over again. Harry quietly slipped in. "Hey you guys. Guess what."  
"Harry, I'm not in the mood for guessing games. Ron has to understand how a thing can act as an ingredient to a potion, yet still be an antidote to the same potion before tomorrow's test! Just tell me!" Hermione shouted.  
Madam Pince, the librarian, shushed her. She was surrounded by first years, who looked as though they might start crying any minute. Apparently the all needed the same book, but there was only one copy. It was sort of funny to see all of them trying to tug it out of the other's hands. Madam Pince was rushing about, trying to keep them from tearing it in two. Hermione lowered her voice. Harry pulled both Ron and Hermione over to a corner and whispered, "I don't think Dumbledore is Dumbledore. I mean, I think someone is impersonating him. You know, with a Polyjuice Potion."  
Ron laughed, "That's a good one, Harry."  
Hermione didn't smile. "Harry, that's not funny. I mean no one could do that to Dumbledore. The teachers would notice, and how would they get rid of Dumbledore? He's the strongest wizard ever. Even You-Know-Who was scared of him, remember? There's nobody who would want to, either. Why should they? No, Harry. If this is your idea of a joke, then it isn't funny. If you really think this is an imposter... Well, you must be mistaken. What proof do you have, anyway?"  
Harry looked Hermione in the eye. "I know Dumbledore. In case you haven't forgotten, Voldemort is back. He would want to take over Dumbledore to get rid of me, if nothing else. Voldemort is stronger than he used to be and braver, too. He no longer fears Dumbledore. The teachers wouldn't notice. The imposter's pretty good. Remember, he looks exactly like Dumbledore. As to what proof I have, well, Dumbledore always called Voldemort (Ron and Hermione winced) by his real name, but when he was talking to me, he said He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Also, Dumbledore always told me the truth, but when I spoke with him just now he fed me some lies about the planets aligning. It sounded like something out of our Divination books. I sneaked a look behind his desk, and there were signs of a struggle. I'm sure this is not the real Dumbledore. You guys have to believe me. Dumbledore might be in trouble."  
Ron and Hermione stared, open-mouthed, at Harry. They were apparently speechless.  
Harry spoke once again, "Good. We'll confront the imposter tonight at 11:00 with the help of my invisibility cloak. Don't be late."  
He hurried off to the common room to start the charms homework, leaving Ron and Hermione alone in the library. The two returned to the table and Hermione broke the silence with, "Okay, Ron. Now, in a sleeping potion, rat's blood acts as both an antidote and a vital ingredient. How can this be?"  
Ron groaned and began to gloomily recite the answer.  
  
End of Chapter Two 


End file.
